Security footage inside 1135 S. Jason St. in Denver reportedly shows Andrew Leising, rear, stealing a refrigerator. (Courtesy of Rocky Mountain Distributors)
A cannabis cultivation company in Denver is accusing its manager of methodically stealing at least $238,000 worth of marijuana and equipment from its southside warehouse.
Rocky Mountain Distributors alleges in a Dec. 17 lawsuit that Andrew Leising, whom it hired in April 2023 and has since fired, spent several days burglarizing the business this fall.
“And apparently he forgot that the cameras were on,” said Jean Smith-Gonnell, an attorney for RMD with the firm Frantz Ward. “We have all of this video footage from hours of him taking marijuana, trimming it and turning it into bubble hash. Then the cameras disappear.”
RMD owners Andrew Rodosevich and Scott Rybicki were unaware of the alleged thefts at 1135 S. Jason St. until a security alarm was triggered Oct. 21, according to the lawsuit they filed against Leising. They do not know who triggered that alarm.
“When my client walked in after the alarm was set off, the facility was pretty much empty. (Leising) had taken all of the equipment. He even took the pencils and chairs,” Smith-Gonnell alleges. “He literally emptied that facility. He stole everything he thought was valuable.”
Leising did not respond to BusinessDen’s emails and calls requesting comment. He remains licensed by Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division to handle cannabis.
Leising’s alleged thefts from RMD came at an uncertain time for the company. While still allowed to cultivate marijuana, the company’s manufacturing work was supposed to be on hold pending an unrelated Marijuana Enforcement Division investigation into one of its clients. Hearings in that matter, in which Leising could testify, are scheduled for this week.
“Police said it is a civil issue and a (Marijuana Enforcement Division) issue,” Smith-Gonnell said of the burglary, which reportedly occurred across at least five days between Sept. 19 and Oct. 12. “So, we gave everything to MED. We always do, anytime there is a burglary.”
A partially redacted Denver Police Department narrative of the incident, which BusinessDen obtained in a records request, is just 33 words long and does not name Leising.
“Investigation revealed that a known suspect entered the business with a key without the consent or permission of the owner,” Officer Fernando Miranda wrote Oct. 21, an hour after receiving reports of a no-force business burglary at 1135 S. Jason St. “The suspect was (redacted) taking multiple items from the business to an unknown location.”
Rocky Mountain Distributors is suing Leising in Denver District Court for theft, among other claims, and seeking more than $700,000. The company is also weighing its future.
“Obviously, it is very detrimental when you have an employee steal everything out of the facility on top of stealing all of the marijuana,” attorney Smith-Gonnell noted last week.
“In the marijuana world, you have to trust a lot of people. These businesses are very complicated. Unfortunately, my client trusted somebody that should not have been trusted.”
Security footage inside 1135 S. Jason St. in Denver reportedly shows Andrew Leising, rear, stealing a refrigerator. (Courtesy of Rocky Mountain Distributors)
A cannabis cultivation company in Denver is accusing its manager of methodically stealing at least $238,000 worth of marijuana and equipment from its southside warehouse.
Rocky Mountain Distributors alleges in a Dec. 17 lawsuit that Andrew Leising, whom it hired in April 2023 and has since fired, spent several days burglarizing the business this fall.
“And apparently he forgot that the cameras were on,” said Jean Smith-Gonnell, an attorney for RMD with the firm Frantz Ward. “We have all of this video footage from hours of him taking marijuana, trimming it and turning it into bubble hash. Then the cameras disappear.”
RMD owners Andrew Rodosevich and Scott Rybicki were unaware of the alleged thefts at 1135 S. Jason St. until a security alarm was triggered Oct. 21, according to the lawsuit they filed against Leising. They do not know who triggered that alarm.
“When my client walked in after the alarm was set off, the facility was pretty much empty. (Leising) had taken all of the equipment. He even took the pencils and chairs,” Smith-Gonnell alleges. “He literally emptied that facility. He stole everything he thought was valuable.”
Leising did not respond to BusinessDen’s emails and calls requesting comment. He remains licensed by Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division to handle cannabis.
Leising’s alleged thefts from RMD came at an uncertain time for the company. While still allowed to cultivate marijuana, the company’s manufacturing work was supposed to be on hold pending an unrelated Marijuana Enforcement Division investigation into one of its clients. Hearings in that matter, in which Leising could testify, are scheduled for this week.
“Police said it is a civil issue and a (Marijuana Enforcement Division) issue,” Smith-Gonnell said of the burglary, which reportedly occurred across at least five days between Sept. 19 and Oct. 12. “So, we gave everything to MED. We always do, anytime there is a burglary.”
A partially redacted Denver Police Department narrative of the incident, which BusinessDen obtained in a records request, is just 33 words long and does not name Leising.
“Investigation revealed that a known suspect entered the business with a key without the consent or permission of the owner,” Officer Fernando Miranda wrote Oct. 21, an hour after receiving reports of a no-force business burglary at 1135 S. Jason St. “The suspect was (redacted) taking multiple items from the business to an unknown location.”
Rocky Mountain Distributors is suing Leising in Denver District Court for theft, among other claims, and seeking more than $700,000. The company is also weighing its future.
“Obviously, it is very detrimental when you have an employee steal everything out of the facility on top of stealing all of the marijuana,” attorney Smith-Gonnell noted last week.
“In the marijuana world, you have to trust a lot of people. These businesses are very complicated. Unfortunately, my client trusted somebody that should not have been trusted.”
